The quantum transport properties of a graphene kirigami similar to those
studied in recent experiments are calculated in the regime of elastic,
reversible deformations. Our results show that, at low electronic
densities, the conductance profile of such structures replicates that of
a system of coupled quantum dots, characterized by a sequence of
minibands and stopgaps. The conductance and I-V curves have different
characteristics in the distinct stages of deformation that characterize
the elongation of these structures. Notably, the effective coupling
between localized states is strongly reduced in the small elongation
stage but revived at large elongations that allow the reestablishment of
resonant tunneling across the kirigami. This provides an interesting
example of interplay between geometry, strain, spatial confinement, and
electronic transport. The alternating miniband and stopgap structure in
the transmission leads to I-V characteristics with negative differential
conductance in well defined energy/doping ranges. These effects should
be stable in a realistic scenario that includes edge roughness and
Coulomb interactions, as these are expected to further promote
localization of states at low energies in narrow segments of graphene
nanostructures.